The Only Way I Know How to Feel
by FlackStavros
Summary: Sometimes hope is the only thing left in a relationship THREE-SHOT
1. Guilt

Title: The Only Way I Know How to Feel

Pairing: past Riley/Zane

Genre(s): Angst, Romance

Rated: T

Spoilers: 9.18 In Your Eyes, 10.05 99 Problems (1), 11.09 Dirt Off Your Shoulder (2)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, they belong to Epitome Pictures

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><p>Riley left The Dot with a bitter taste on his mouth and an ache on his heart, he couldn't believe he just broke up with the love of his life yet he knew that was the best for the moment, that what seemed right but deep inside he knows is not, it took him too damn long to admit that he liked boys and even longer to have someone to love, but now he's alone and hating himself for hurt the most important person in his life, his mind can't stop replaying the words Zane said just minutes ago…<p>

"_So, this is how it ends?.."_

And that's what hurts the most, that sadness Zane's eyes had, that frustrated expression on his face and the tears that should have poured from his eyes after he left the coffee shop, Riley was sure that he would never want to see that again, not on the person he loved the most, so he decided that he'd erase from his memory the bad times and remember only the good times he had with Zane like their first kiss, their greek food tours, their bike trips and so much more..

Yes, Zane had been Riley's first in so many things but now he won't talk to the curly haired footballer, at least until the wound starts to heal, Riley knows that could take a considerable amount of time so now have to concentrate on planning how to get Zane back, because true love knows how to wait.

* * *

><p>The End<p> 


	2. Rude Awakening

Title: The Only Way I Know How to Feel

Chapter: 2/3

Pairing: past Riley/Zane

Genre(s): Angst, Romance

Rating: T

Spoilers: 10.35 The Way We Get By, 11.09 Dirt Off Your Shoulder (2)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; they belong to Epitome Pictures

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><p>He remembered when Riley texted him in the morning asking if they could meet at The Dot after Riley's wresting practice, Zane noticed an unusual sharpness in that text but he didn't push it because he was going to have a date with the love of his life no less so he decided that he was going to skip the last period so he could go home and take a quick shower before their "date" but he just didn't know, he couldn't have known….<p>

Zane felt his heart shattering at Riley's cold words, the blue eyed greek was breaking up with him after all the thick and thin they have been through together, he wanted to hate him for breaking his heart in such a ruthless way but he couldn't bring himself to do it, he loves Riley too much, he had become such a large part of his life that he just couldn't imagine his life without Riley but now the damage is done and he'll have to live with that from now on.

After walking around the neighborhood for several hours, Zane decided that it was time to go home, once he got there, he opened the door, hoping nobody was home but then his mom walked out of the kitchen to see who it was and when she saw Zane's sad face she hugged him tight and that's when Zane allowed himself to cry

"It's over mom, Riley broke up with me" said Zane nearly choking with his own tears

"Oh, honey I'm sorry.. what happened?" Mrs. Park asked rubbing Zane's back trying to comfort him

"he-he ssaid that he couldn't do this anymore aand that he was doing this for his family and I just just…" Zane broke down and no word coming from his mouth was understandable due to his crying

Mrs. Park started to get angry and not because of Riley but because of his mother, Zane always tells her everything going on in his life and when she found out about Riley she not only accepted their relationship but also started to look after him as if he was her own son too , so, she knew about that nasty fight both Riley and Zane had with Mrs. Stavros when she walked in on them kissing at Riley's room; Mrs. Park was absolutely sure that if Riley broke up with Zane was because Riley's mom did some kind of pressure on her own son so she could pretend she didn't have a gay son.

Suddenly Mrs. Park noticed that Zane was no more in the living room so she went upstairs and when she opened Zane's door she found him on the floor curled up in the smallest ball a boy of his age could do and that's when she said very determined "I will not let that bitch to get away with it on Riley and my son's expenses"

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><p>End of Part 2<p> 


	3. New Beginnings

Title: The Only Way I Know How to Feel

Chapter: 3/3

Pairing: Riley/Zane

Rating: T

Spoilers: 11.08 Dirt Off Your Shoulder (1)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; they belong to Epitome Pictures

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><p>It has been almost a week since Riley and Zane's breakup and the greek footballer still couldn't believe he'd done that, he missed Zane terribly and to make it even worst, today he found out that Zane hadn't been attending school since their breakup, Tiley was worried but he wouldn't dare to ask around because he doesn't want anyone else putting their nose on his business.<p>

A Couple of days after, Riley was getting ready for wrestling practice when he heard a knock on the door and since his mom wasn't speaking to him anymore, he decided to open the door himself

"Mrs. Park!, what the… ehrrm.. what are you doing here?" asked a very surprised Riley

"Hello Riley, is you mom around?" Mrs. Park asked giving Riley a warm smile

"Um.. yeah, please come in" Riley let Mrs. Park get in the house, she instantly felt Riley's discomfort

"Riley, I want you to know that I'm not mad at you for breaking up with Zane…."

"But…." Riley interrupted but Mrs. Park quickly shushed him and continued

"I don't need explanations Riley, save those for my son, I know why you did it and that's why I'm here" Mrs. Park smiled again and this time Riley smiled back

Suddenly Mrs. Stavros walked into the living room to see who was talking with her son, when Riley noticed her presence, quickly excused himself so the two women could talk alone

"What the hell are you doing in my house Diane? "asked a fuming Mrs. Stavros

"I'm here because I want to save Riley and Zane's happiness from people like you" said Mrs. Park looking straight into her eyes

"if you're here to tell me how should I raise my son, then you're wasting your time" Mrs. Stavros was ready to fight for what she believed was the right thing to do

"no, Melina, you're wrong, I'm not here for that but to ask you to stay out of his life, you're hurting him with your actions, and since he still loves and cares for you, it was very obvious that you'd use that for your own benefit" Mrs. Park's hands were trembling out of anger

"excuse me?, I think I know what's good for my son, and letting him be a part of a sinful and inappropriate relationship isn't one of them because my son isn't gay, that's just a silly phase he'll get over very soon Diane, I can't believe that you condone these type of behavior" Mrs. Park was trying with all her might not to hit the other woman, she couldn't believe what she was hearing so, instead of that, she walked away not wanting to hear Mrs. Stavros anymore

=O=O=O=O=O=

Meanwhile at Degrassi, Riley was nervous and wasn't paying any attention to the instructions Coach Armstrong was giving to the team so the wrestling practice could be executed smoothly and without injuries, when someone poke his shoulder

"Hey man, are you alright? Because you seem pretty out of it to me" asked an apparently worried Owen, which by the way, was extremely rare

"no, I'm not okay and if you really need to know, Zane's mom is at home talking to Ma, I have a feeling that is not going to end up well" Riley was breathing fast and his hands were already shaking

Owen bet his lip thinking about what to do

"you know what? Let's get you out of here so you can chill a bit, because you're not gonna learn anything being like that" Owen gave Riley a reassuring smile as the dark haired athlete got up and explained to Mr. Armstrong why Riley needed to get out of the practice for a few minutes

"Alright Riley, you may leave the practice" said Mr. Armstrong

Owen and Riley were talking through the hallway when suddenly Riley stopped walking

"why are you doing this Owen?" said Riley a bit annoyed

"doing what?" asked Owen with a genuine expression of confusion

"this, I mean, covering my back with Coach, asking me if I'm okay, etcetera, you know?, it's not like I don't appreciate all the attention but I just find really hard to believe that you're just helping a friend" said Riley suddenly finding an interesting spot to look at in the floor

"Listen, first of all, I want you to know that you never stopped being a friend to me, I acted like an idiot when I found out about you and Zane because I didn't know how to react to the news and I'm sorry if I treated Zane like dirt but I just didn't know!, but ever since I'm with Anya, she has been helping me with tolerance and acceptance, plus, she reminded me that we were friends before all of this happened so I thought, why not give this friendship another chance and here I am" Owen said looking Riley in the eyes

Riley couldn't believe Owen's sudden burst of honesty, and yes, he remembered that Owen was his friend and maybe, just maybe he was telling the truth after all.

=O=O=O=O=O=

At the Park household, Zane was drinking coffee and thinking about all those days and nights he spent with Riley, if Zane was true to himself, he would have to admit that he didn't think him and Riley would last this long nor he'd love Riley the way he does despite all the mistakes he made or the times Riley denied their relationship in public; that didn't matter anymore because their relationship was done and now he was trying to get over him, but his stubborn heart keeps reminding him that he still loves the blue eyed greek a lot.

Zane was so deeply lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear his mom coming back from wherever she had been all afternoon

"Hey sweetie, what are you doing there all by yourself, don't you want to go out with your friends or something?" asked Mrs. Park visibly concerned

"Hey mom, where were you? Been looking for you all afternoon! And as for your question, no, I don't feel like going out, but thanks for asking" Zane gave his mother a sad smile

"I was at Riley's house and before you start with your little speech, let me make clear that I did all it for you and Riley" Mrs. Park replied very calm and collected

Zane was surprised and slightly mad at his mom, he couldn't believe she did such thing without consulting him, because he knows how angry Mrs. Stavros can get if someone mentions his relationship with Riley, so Zane took a deep break and asked the one thing he really wanted to know

"How did that go, Mom?" Zane's hands were shaking a little

"not as good but also not as bad as you might have expected, Melina is way too stubborn to realize that she could ruin her son's happiness for the rest of his life" Mrs. Park's face changed into a sad expression

"and Riley….." Mrs. Park interrupted Zane

"He knows about my visit, in fact, he was the one eho opened the door, he had that same face you're making right now. But I guaranteed to him that It won't be anything bad or potentially dangerous for the two of you" Zane let out a sigh of relief

"even though I don't approve what you did, thanks for being such a good mom" Zane hugged Mrs. Park

=O=O=O=O=O=

Mrs. Stavros was pacing though the living room trying to figure out a way to tell her husband about Riley's preferences, because she would not be able to handle this by herself, desperate times required desperate solutions, so she could finally have the son she had always wanted right?, the curly haired woman was so focused on that, that she didn't hear Mr. Stavros coming to the living room, just where she was

"Honey, what are you doing here all alone in this room?" asked Mr. Stavros while giving her a tight embrace and a light peck on her cheek

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking, that's all" Mrs. Stavros got really nervious

"Melina, I know you, and I can tell something's going on, you know I'll find one way or another, so please tell me" said Mr. Stavros with a firm tone

"okay George, it's Riley…." Mrs. Stavros was breathing fast and her hands were sweating

"what about our son, is he okay? What's going on?" Mr. Stavros was now worried and scared something bad might have happened

"George, please sit down, I know you're not gonna like this but I can't keep this anymore"

"Okay, now tell me already! You're scaring me big time" said Mr. Stavros

"a few weeks ago, I found our son in his bedroom kissing another boy who turned out to be his, oh my god… boyfriend" Mrs. Stavros was having a really hard time pronouncing that last word and then continued

"so, of course I forbid him to see that kid anymore and I grounded him until yesterday"

Suddenly, an awkward silence filled up the room as Mrs. Stavros was expectant for a reaction from her husband, after several minutes, Mr. Stavros gave her a reaction indeed

"So, that was it? Damn it Melina, I thought our son was dying or something, this is old news to me" said Mr. Stavros very nonchalant

"WHAT? You knew it? And you didn't tell me? Oh George Stavros you're in big big trouble, how come I'm the last one to know?" Mrs. Stavros was really out of herself in that moment

"one day, Riley was running late for practice and he forgot his phone in the kitchen table, so after a while it started to ring and when it stopped I looked who was calling our son and it was a text message from this kid Zane, telling him how much le loved him, at first I got just as mad as you are in this moment, but then I realized that ever since Riley met this kid, he has been the happiest person I've ever seen so, I slowly started to come around, and now I'm just waiting for him to say it to me, and you should do the same Melina" said Mr. Stavros

"what? You condone this? But it's sinful and it's wrong!" yelled Mrs. Stavros

"no it's not, when two persons love each other, it's called love, I can't believe you chose your own happiness rather than your son's, shame on you" Mr. Stavros was about to leave the room when Riley appeared

"hey Dad, what are Ma and you doing here?, were you fighting?" asked Riley in a really low voice

"No son, you mom was telling me about certain someone that you been dating…" in that moment Riley froze

"umm are you going to ground me too or send me to a military school?" asked Riley

" first, I want you to tell me if that's true" Mr. Stavros gave Riley a warm look

"umm yeah, but we're through now, because I didn't want to hurt his family and specially you" said Riley while Mr. Stavros gave Mrs. Stavros a disapproval look

"I just want you to be happy Riley, I love you no matter who you love, and if you want to restart you relationship with him, then you have my blessing, and don't worry about your Ma, I'm sure she'll come around soon"

Riley gave his dad a tight and loving hug not before giving him thanks for supporting him

=O=O=O=O=O=

Zane and her mom were having dinner when someone rang the doorbell, so Zane went to open the door only to find a smiley Riley in front of him

"What are you doing here Riley?" asked a very surprised Zane

"I Just wanna talk to you and your mom, may I come in?" Riley was slightly nervous

"sure, come in…" Riley got inside the house and greeted Mrs. Park

"Mrs. Park I have to thank you for taking care of me, I will never forget what you just have done for me" Riley hugged her

"Oh darling, no problem, I just want the people I love to be happy, and since I know you two have a lot to talk, then I'm leaving you too alone" Mrs. park quietly winked at Zane

"My dad finally found out about us…" Zane's face instantly fell

"Oh, what happened, did he hit you, grounded you?"

"no, not at all, he said that he loved me no matter what and that he'll make mom come around soon" said Riley as a wide smile started to form on his lips

"Riley that's awesome! I didn't think he'd be that accepting though" now was Zane's turn to smile

"listen, I know what I said when we broke up, but this changes a lot of things and I wanted to ask you if you're willing to give me another chance…" Riley slowly got closer and closer to Zane

"Riley, you hurt me that day and I don't really know if you mean this" said Zane

"I promess this time will be no lies and no games because you're the best person like ever!" Riley blushed

"I guess we can try one more time then…."

Suddenly Riley pull Zane into a heated kiss and boy there's fireworks between them

"oh god Riley, I love you so much!" said Zane as they continue making-out

Riley suddenly breaks the kiss and looks Zane in the eyes

"you and I together forever, don't you forget it"

And Riley kisses Zane again and again and again….

THE END


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